Shipin Dalizheng

Old Sun glanced at the person who came and said, "It's just average. He can only make a few hundred taels. He probably wants to run away. Why are you coming to me instead of taking care of your grocery store? And you're covering it up so tightly."

The man walked straight into the counter, sat down in front of him, and pulled down his cloak, revealing a common face. "Old Sun, someone brought the ring representing the young master to the shop. I was afraid it was a scam, so I didn't react."

Old Sun sat up straight immediately, his face glistening. "Young Master is in Jiangnan, how come the ring is here?"

The visitor said, "I don't know, and I didn't ask. The person who took the ring was also worried, so we were both trying to test him in a subtle way. He didn't say who it was, so I played dumb."

Lao Sun understood that they were too afraid of being caught by the government.

"Tell me, if the ring is not fake, the young master couldn't have lost it or been robbed. Could the person who took the ring be one of us?"

Old Sun took a breath. "It's possible, but we have to verify it carefully. Since he was able to find me the first time, he can find me the second time, and the next time..."

Before he could finish his words, a special sound came from the backyard.

"Baimei is back."

Baimei is an adult Saker Falcon. It is large in size and strong in strength. It is responsible for transporting heavy objects. At this time, it landed on its territory, scratching the large bamboo tube on the other paw with one claw.

Old Sun took off the bamboo tube, took out some dried meat and water to feed Baimei, and then he walked towards the shop holding the bamboo tube and closed the door.

"Is there any news from Jiangnan?"

Old Sun opened the bamboo tube and poured out the contents, which turned out to be a large envelope with "Personally addressed to Rong Tang" written on it.

Their order was to find this person, give him the letter, and attach Rong Tang's information: he was less than fifteen years old and had a girl named Chuncao by his side.

Old Sun had no idea what was going on, and the visitor was a little confused. "Rong Tang, Rong Tang, why does this sound familiar..."

The residence of Minister Jin in the capital.

Jin Shizhao had another chaotic day. His superior, Wei Shangshu, had already given him a stern warning for taking too many days off. There was no other way but to be on duty today, the Right Vice Minister attending court.

When he arrived, he discovered that the position he had originally been presiding over in the Autumn Examination for Scholars had been taken over by the Right Vice Minister. His subordinates politely told him that this was because he had been constantly taking leave and not going on duty, so the Right Vice Minister had snatched away the lucrative position. He was furious; presiding over the Autumn Examination would have yielded him a lot of benefits, but now all his money was gone.

After sitting in the office for half a day, during lunch time, Butler Wu came to report that someone had come from Fuxinzhuang and said that there had been a conflict with Duke Du's Mansion. Third Master Du brought people to rob Fuxinzhuang and drive out Second Master Yang.

Jin Shizhao didn't believe it, but when he heard Butler Wu's solemn assurance, he had no choice but to believe it.

He was so angry that he wanted to curse. He wanted to ignore it, but he was holding back his anger. What if it was the Duke's Mansion? Could it be that a third-rank civil official like him was afraid of a military commander? The key was what he could tolerate.

It happened that Minister Wei came back from court to visit the ceremonial office, and he asked for leave again with a smug look on his face.

Wei Shangshu looked at him with an intriguing look, and the Right Vice Minister smiled sweetly, "Master Jin, please go and take care of your business. If there's anything else going on in the office, I alone am sufficient."

In a world where the left is respected, Jin Shizhao had always been proud of being a step above the Right Vice Minister, but today, he felt his face burning. There was nothing he could do; family matters were more important, so he had to go and take care of them.

He was halfway there when he realized it too late. Was it really okay to go to Duke Du like this? Even though he was a military commander, he was also a hereditary first-rank Duke, someone not even Minister Wei would easily provoke.

He asked the sedan bearer to turn around and head towards Prince Rui's Palace.

Ever since the night Prince Rui fell and was injured, he hasn't left the house for several days. He went to give a gift himself, but was turned away by the official historian. I wonder if he'll be turned away again if I go now? If that's the case, I'll have to think about it carefully.

Fortunately, he was not turned away this time. Prince Rui received him and gave him the illusion that Prince Rui still valued him, which also gave outsiders the illusion that he was valued.

Prince Rui came out to see him on crutches, with a white veil wrapped around his head.

In reality, Prince Rui only injured one leg, but using crutches made him look particularly miserable. His brothers and even his father, the emperor, had come to see him. His father, in particular, offered many words of encouragement, praising his kindness and his love for his people.

Prince Rui was so moved that he burst into tears and decided to rest for a hundred days before recovering. What's more, his subordinates said that his reputation for kindness had spread throughout the streets and alleys in recent days, and his popularity among the people had soared.

After paying his respects, Jin Shizhao stated the purpose of his visit.

Before Nangong Rui sat down properly, he immediately felt a thorn on the chair.

"What did you say? Duke Du bought Fuxinzhuang?"

Jin Shizhao covered his face with his sleeves. "That unfilial son did it. He forced his way into my grandmother's yard and stole all the land, houses, and shop deeds. Now he's committing treason by secretly selling off our ancestral property. Duke Du didn't know the truth and was fooled by him. I don't want to cause any quarrel with Duke Du, so I hope Your Highness will mediate."

Nangong Rui's face was strange. "Master Jin, tell me honestly, was it Rong Tang himself, or someone he sent, who broke into the Minister's Mansion and robbed the Jin family's belongings, or was it..."

Jin Shizhao was embarrassed. Wasn’t Prince Rui asking this question even though he knew the answer?

Nangong Rui was stunned for a moment before saying, "Master Jin, this is a different time now. Rong Tang's identity has already been acknowledged by our father himself. Now that the dust has settled, have you not given up on this idea?"

This statement is almost explicit: the title of Earl's Mansion belongs to Rong Tang, and the family property belongs to Rong Tang. Stop dreaming.

Jin Shizhao's face flushed red as a monkey's buttocks, and he forced himself to be stubborn. "Your Highness, you can't say that. I am, after all, the son-in-law of the Earl's family, his biological father. His wife has passed away, and as his closest relative, I should help him manage the property. He sold it secretly, isn't that ruining the family fortune? Even if I am a widow, facing an unfilial son who ruins the family fortune, shouldn't I also intervene?"

At this point, Jin Shizhao's self-esteem suffered an unprecedented blow. This was equivalent to comparing himself to a widow who was as humble as a widow.

What he said seemed to make some sense. There is a rule nowadays that children cannot have private property while their parents are still alive.

In fact, this rule is extremely manipulable. Nangong Rui also has a father, doesn't he also have a lot of private property? Therefore, there is not much empathy.

After much deliberation, he decided not to ignore it completely, so he asked the historian to go along. Jin Shizhao was slightly disappointed. He still remembered that Duke Du was in a high position and had great power, so he hoped that Prince Rui would go in person to intercede for him.

Just as Jin Shizhao and the Chief Historian left, the head of the Liang family emerged with a mocking expression, "This Jin Shizhao is useless. He's been running around for his two illegitimate brothers all day and night, and he's barely keeping his job. His Majesty has acknowledged Rong Tang's status as Crown Prince. A discerning family should have considered repairing their relationship with this son and handing over the Rong family's dowry and property to him. But he's clinging to it stubbornly and won't let go."

Nangong Rui sighed, "He's also afraid of being poor. When I recruited him, I was after Earl Jian'an's connections, the support of the Rong family army, and all the financial and material resources. If I only wanted him as a person, what could he do? Perhaps he himself knows that without Earl Jian'an's inheritance, he, a minister with an annual salary of only 200 yuan, will live worse than a dog from a high-ranking family in Shangjing. So, I can't let him go, I dare not let him go."

The head of the Liang family disdained to talk about this person anymore and talked about another matter, "I have arranged another marriage for Chongwen. It's with the daughter of a distant relative of Master Xie. The wedding is scheduled to take place in August."

Nangong Rui remained silent. The so-called daughter of a distant relative of Grand Tutor Xie was most likely a farmer's daughter whose biological father held no official position. Would it be a help to use Grand Tutor Xie's name to marry into a high-ranking family?

However, the Xie family is the maiden family of the favorite concubine, Concubine Xie Guifei, so it is always right to let my mother get along better with her.